Synopsis

The episode starts with a commercial of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy on a conveyer belt, tied up in chains by Man Ray. The heroes cannot escape. Mermaid Man then starts talking

about the Krusty Kid's Meal at the Krusty Krab, which Man Ray asks Mermaid Man what is. The next scene shows Man Ray eating the Pipsqueak Patty, small fries, and drinking the juice box. The narrator of the commercial responds saying "Of course you do, Man Ray." The kids off-screen of the commercial scream joyfully and in the next scene, Man Ray is in chains holding up the Krusty Kid's Meal box with Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy beside him as the commercial ends.

Plankton is annoyed by the commercial seeing all of the kids at the Krusty Krab through his periscope. Mr. Krabs' profits increase, as children flock to the Krusty Krab. Plankton decides to use mind control shampoo to turn Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy against Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob.

Plankton controls Mermaid Man to say hateful things about Krabby Patties, resulting in all the Krusty Krab customers to resort to the Chum Bucket. Then, SpongeBob brings a big truck of fiber and feeds it to Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy forcefully, which brings them back to normal.

Then everyone goes back to the Krusty Krab. When Plankton comes back with the food he prepared, he sees the customers are gone and gets upset.

Release

Reception

As of August 17, 2016, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gives this episode a rating of 7.4/10 based on 114 ratings by users.[1] TV.com users give this episode a rating of 7.7/10 based on 121 votes.[2]

Trivia

The title card background for this episode is similar to the way Nickelodeon was copyrighted in artwork.

In "Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy V," Barnacle Boy balks at the idea that he be served a Pipsqueak Patty instead of the adult-sized Krabby Patty. At the beginning, in the commercial, he and Mermaid Man promote the Krusty Kid's Meal, the main course being an actual Pipsqueak Patty.

Squidward delivers six boxes of Krusty Kid's Meal to the "Tarpon twins." The tarpon is a type of fish.

After the Krusty Kid's Meal commercial, one can see that Karen is at the Krusty Krab getting a Krusty Kid's meal, even though usually Karen would have been the screen Plankton watched the commercial on in the first place.

Off-screen, Karen has left from the Chum Bucket to the Krusty Krab.

When Mermaid Man does the spine blaster on SpongeBob, one can see the latter's leg bones, even though sponges are invertebrates.